LEE COUNTY Rainy day doesn’t stop early voters going to the polls in Lee County A rainy Monday did not keep people in Lee County from participating in the first day of early voting. Long lines kept voters stuck in the rain for hours. “All the way down and around the election building and down the side,” John Penn said. “You’re talking hundreds.” Early voting was busy in south Fort […]
LEE COUNTY Almost 9,000 Lee County students set to return to in-person school The deadline is past Friday to change your kids from Lee Home Connect to in-person learning in Lee County. We spoke to parents passionate about this issue. As of Friday morning, 8,648 students are returning to face-to-face learning in Lee County, and 373 will head online with Lee Home Connect. The deadline for those students […]
WINK NEWS SWFL doctor’s family raises awareness about his serious cases of COVID-19 A doctor treating patients in our community for the coronavirus is now a COVID-19 patient himself. The family of Dr. Clarence Scott is raising awareness about what happens to heroes when they end up in a hospital bed. Four months ago, their dad was a doctor in Fort Myers, caring for people with COVID-19. Now, […]
WINK NEWS Scammer poses as law enforcement, tries to have woman wire $3,000 A woman in Southwest Florida says a man tried to scare her into wiring $3,000 to him. On Tiffany Barnes’ way home from work Tuesday, she received what was a seemingly worrisome voicemail from a law enforcement officer. “This is Sergeant Thomas Orr from the Naples Police Department,” the voicemail said. “I need Tiffany Barnes […]
LEE CCOUNTY Lee County elections office ensures voting machines are accurate Voting machines for early voting and Election Day are being tested in Lee County Monday. It’s a long-term process to make sure machines are working properly. “We don’t want any glitches during the election,” said Tommy Doyle, Lee County’s supervisor of elections. “We’re always gonna be ready for something.” The canvassing board for Lee County […]
LEHIGH ACRES Memorial for Lehigh Acres homicide victim disappears A Lehigh Acres homicide victim’s family is distraught after a memorial for their loved one disappeared. Isaiah Robles was 21 when he was killed in a drive-by shooting earlier this year at Beth Stacey Boulevard and Woodward Court in Lehigh Acres. A memorial of flowers, photos, and a cross sat well kept for months – […]
WINK NEWS Navy reservist gets a welcome home at RSW like never before We witnessed an incredible welcome home for a hometown hero returning from his tenth tour of duty. Community members gathered Thursday to welcome home Navy reservist Shawn Wittwer upon landing at RSW airport. For 21 years, Wittwer couldn’t be there for many family milestones. “This guy’s in taekwondo. He got a brown belt. We had […]
FORT MYERS Some think Fort Myers city manager’s pay raise is bad timing As the economy struggles, a public leader in Southwest Florida is receiving a pay raise through taxpayer money. Monday, a 20% salary bump for City Manager Saeed Kazemi in Fort Myers was approved in a 4-3 vote by city council. Many people in Fort Myers have fallen on hard times in 2020, so the pay […]
WINK NEWS Harry Chapin Food Bank keeps president’s letter in boxes to preserve fresh food Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida benefits from a federal government fresh food initiative through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program. In boxes of fresh food donated to Harry Chapin and other participating nonprofits is a letter from President Donald Trump, and it’s causing controversy. Many food banks chose to remove a […]
FORT MYERS Hundreds of Lee County voters opt for drive-thru ballot drop One after another, hundreds of Lee County voters showed up to drop off their mail-in ballots, wanting to make sure their votes count. Election workers say they’ve never seen anything like it. They’ve never tried a drive-thru drop-off for ballots before, something that has proved to be very popular. Sylvia Maynard drove from North Fort […]